CharterWorld is proud to announce that it will join the sponsors of ‘Rebuild Barbuda’ at the Antigua Charter Yacht Show and additionally support the initiative by directly attending this important event. The show will run from the 4th-10th of December, while the Rebuild Barbuda event will take place on Wednesday, 6th December from 6-10 pm at Nelson’s Dockyard. It is designed to help the island rebuild after the 378 miles-wide Hurricane Irma destroyed an estimated 95% of infrastructure, displacing all 1,800 residents, passing over the island of only 62 square miles.
Antigua – Photo Ted Martin
“The damage is complete,” said Ambassador Ronald Sanders in the wake of Hurricane Irma: “For the first time in 300 years, there’s not a single living person on the island of Barbuda — a civilization that has existed on that island for over 300 years has now been extinguished.”
The inhabitants of Barbuda have been evacuated to the nearby neighbour island of Antigua where damage was far less severe. They have been placed in the temporary housing and the Antigua education system has had to find room for nearly 500 schoolchildren.
©Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority
“We are a small island community — the gross domestic product of Antigua is $1 billion a year,” Ambassador Ronald Sanders continued. “We cannot afford to take on this responsibility by ourselves. Barbuda is not just a disaster, it’s a humanitarian crisis. We are hopeful that the international community will come to our aid, not because we’re begging for something we want, but because we’re begging for something that is needed.”
The Rebuild Barbuda event will be attended by CharterWorld’s Director of Charter Nicolas Benazeth and luxury yacht charter brokers Trina Howes, Martha Lukasik, Colin Srivastava and Amanda Brilliante, who experienced the devastation first-hand from her home in the Virgin Islands.
“We are delighted to participate in the effort to help rebuilt Barbuda, and the Caribbean in general, and give a little back to the region and its people who have consistently been one of the most welcoming to yachts and charterers since the very beginning of yachting,” Nicolas Benazeth CharterWorld Director of Charter commented.
“CharterWorld has been involved with yachting in the Caribbean for decades; it has always been a favourite destination for many satisfied charter clients, and also a place to call home for some of our own team. The devastation that hit the area has been shocking to us all and it will be a real pleasure to once again attend the Antigua Yacht Show, whilst also bringing a small contribution to the local rebuild efforts. Islands like Barbuda are in particular need of assistance as they do not have the exposure and investment of areas like St. Martin or St. Barth’s so we believe this is a particularly worthy cause.”
“This event and the Antigua Yacht Show will once again be a reminder that there is nowhere like the Caribbean for amazing hospitality, great landscapes and world class cruising, and it is still very much open for business this season.” adds Mr Benazeth.
100% of donated funds will go to rebuilding Barbuda and the event is open to yacht captains and crew, charter brokers, marine vendors and the press. Donations to the overall relief effort can also be made via yachtaidglobal.org.
